Before & After home tour (part 1)

Two posts in one day? What is this world coming to? I'm feeling very inspired now that I'm blogging & am having all kinds of ideas of things to post. So today I'm going to post twice.

I don't know about you, but I love a good before & after show. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, all kinds of shows on HGTV (Summer Home being my favourite new show), & What Not To Wear are a few favourites. What is it that we love about them? Well, besides the fact that we see something that looks nasty (or boring or outdated) turn into something that looks beautiful.

I was visiting with my friend, Vanessa, today in her great new home. She & her husband are in the midst of picking paint colours & embarking on a home makeover of their own. I had the pleasure of helping her pick a paint colour for her front entrance. I hope she doesn't disown me as a friend after she's done painting! ;) Seeing her home & talking about renovations, painting, floor plans, etc. got me remembering our home makeover...

Four years ago we purchased the home we live in now. It had been pretty neglected & someone who lived there in the past had been crafty... in a not-so-great, don't-quit-your-day-job kinda way. We're talking orange tie dyed paint effects in the living room, stained glass insets in the bright yellow kitchen cabinets, fruit wallpaper applique on the roll down blinds, a stainless steel paint effect gone terribly wrong... oh ya, this house was a piece of work. But we were excited about the challenge & knew we could turn "her" into something beautiful.

After painting, putting in new flooring, painting, knocking out a wall, painting, putting in a new kitchen, painting, replacing the mauve toilet & tub, & painting some more it was finally ready for us to live in. But the work wasn't done.

It's taken us this long & it's not quite done yet. There are a few things left to be done. But since when is a house ever "done"? We're very happy with our progress thus far & I thought I'd share some of it with you all.

Nasty orange tie dyed paint effect in the living room. This wall actually got removed to open up the kitchen/dining room area.

Living Room BEFORE - complete with African Safari style homemade curtains.

Living room AFTER

Where the wall used to be.

Recap:

I'll post a little of our home makeover at a time. We're pleased with how things have turned out so far. I hope you enjoy seeing the transformation.

If you'd like to see our kitchen makeover click here.
If you'd like to see our main bathroom makeover click here.

Enjoy your day!

~Steph